Tuesday, Jun 14, 2005

A 22-year-old La Crosse man accused of stepping on a kitten's head was charged with a felony in La Crosse County Court on June 21. Randy Lee Whitney was charged with a felony count of mistreating an animal resulting in death and a misdemeanor count of mistreating the same animal.

When he was arrested by La Crosse police on June 20, Whitney said it was an accident, but the people Whitney was staying with gave police a different story. A woman told police last week that on June 14, Whitney intentionally stepped on the head of her 10-week-old kitten named Baby in her apartment on the 800 block of State Street. The woman and a male friend took the kitten to the veterinarian, but the animal did not make it through the night.

When police found Whitney on June 20, he said he was helping the woman move some things in her apartment when the kitten ran under his foot. If he had not stepped on the animal, he would have lost his balance, Whitney said.

Another woman told police she saw Whitney hit the kitten in the head and throw it to the floor a few days before the animal's death.

According to police reports, another person said Whitney admitted he killed the cat in an instant message sent to a friend.

During Tuesday's hearing, La Crosse County Circuit Judge John Perlich ordered Whitney held on a $2,500 cash bond.

Case Updates

The man who stomped on a kitten's head will spend six years in prison. Citing Randy Lee Whitney's "absolute lack of remorse," La Crosse County Judge John Perlich sentenced him to prison Tuesday, citing the need to protect society.

"I haven't read a presentence investigation in years that has scared me as much as this one," Perlich said. "If there was ever a person who had no regard for the law or the rules of civilized society, no morals or ability to make moral judgments, or to comply with reasoned thinking, that person is described in this report."

But killing the kitten wasn't the only reason for Perlich's long sentence.

Whitney has previous convictions for sexually abusing a 5- to 6-year-old boy and numerous home burglaries, said Deputy District Attorney Loralee Clark. "He's a compulsive liar."

Referring to the presentence investigation that detailed Whitney's life and criminal history, Perlich concluded, "unfortunately, there's not much hope of rehabilitation."

Whitney said nothing when Perlich gave him the chance to speak.

Through his attorney John Brinckman, Whitney had requested a sentence of between two and 21/2 years for the animal cruelty charge.

Perlich gave him four years in prison and two more of extended supervision.

On the felony bail jumping and misdemeanor theft charges relating to stealing mail from Three Rivers Martial Arts on July 13 - a day after getting out of jail on bond - Perlich sentenced Whitney to two years in prison and two years of extended supervision.

The sentences are consecutive, meaning a total of six years in prison and four years of supervision.

Whitney also got 60 days in jail for stealing items from two University of Wisconsin-La Crosse students at Murphy Library on June 16.

The kitten incident happened June 14 at the State Street apartment of people Whitney was staying with. One of the owners told police Whitney intentionally stepped on the head of her 10-week-old kitten, named Baby. They took the kitten to the veterinarian, but the animal did not survive the night.

Another woman told police she saw Whitney hit the kitten in the head and throw it to the floor a few days before the animal's death.

References

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